The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-12-23
A GRATEFUL SAVAGE.


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Almost every child has . grand
,oo,her. but not many have .
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES grandmother
ether. / have, and she Is the dearest
old lady in the world. -
She wears black gown, little
wh;,e muslin handkerchief over her
shoulders, and white lace cap over
her brown false front. that al oiu
ladies used to wear.
She has fine gray eyes, anu nice
teeth-all her own, too-and Is ninety
Years old. She reads the papers, and
knows all that is going on; and worries
over the accidents just as much as II
her own folks were in them.
She Is fond Of politics, for she and
or.ndfather-dead this thirty year
nsed TO keep roadside tavern. where
IN the famous lawyers stopped on
their way to H. where the county
cart was held. Daniel Webster had
s,opped at the tavern. and many other
distinguished men.
Grandma loves to tell OF those days
xhi,e she knits in the freight. She
moves her needles rs swift rs . ma
chine. and can knit in the dark. She
taucht me to knit. too; but think she
found stupid pupil. though she never
said 50. She does all kinds Of knitting;
scarfs. mittens, wristers and stockings.
and when she was young she used e
weave. and made her own linen foI
sheets and bedding when she was mar
riei.
Once grandma visited Boston; only
thirteen she was. yet remembers every
detail 81 her visit. Her uncle. an ex
Governor. gave grand balls and par
ties. and the shy little country girl has
glimpse If the fine manners and ga.
life OF Boston's old aristocracy.
But she loved the country best. an
married neighbours son. and wen
with him to an unbroken fores
way up in the north Of Maine. an
lived a pioneer life in all its hardship
OF want and cold.
She had eight children. and mad
every stitch Of their clothing. a. we
as her husbands. and taught then
too. There was no school-house nea
and her only book was the Bible. an
out Of this they learned to read an
spell. She had all the work farmer
wife must do. and ! fancy knew lit
rest. There are few such worke
nowadays.
Grandma's best stories arc about i
dams There were rowing bands
them in Maine fifty and sixty yea
ago. and some times they were n
pcaceably disposed. especially whs
farms were isolated and far fro
ncighbors' help. How many tim
they plundercd and burned. and no
many families they murdered a
scalped. will never be known; for wi
could tell. in the depths Of fores
what q blackened clearing mean
Il might be only place burned
those mysterious forest fires; who W
to know 1t was the ashes Of . on
happy homer
A few years ago grandma was dov
f'ht A4V0cI vi nEk ltkOAMl WlM&S
visit, and she found US girls much Z
cited about New Years calls. In
small country town. few people recci
calls on New Years Day. and moth
had not done 80 since we were
little to remember. The last day
the old year we were talking wi
grandma in the hour before tea. VII
1t was too dark to read or sew, and
light for lamps OF course grandI
was knitting. this time big pair
mittens for an old man that used
saw wood Tor US Grandma had
ticed his mittens were ragged. a
finding he had no one 20 care
him. took it upon herself. and g
him three pairs Of good yarn stos
ings before she went away. and
said:
Now marin. you be one Of the "a
old-fashioned sort, the Lord rewI
ye."
You never heard about my N
Years caller. did you. girlsr' .
grandma.
NO" We cried. eagerly.
WAS Il In Boston, at the 9
crnor'sw asked Jen.
1T must have been grand Their
said Mamie. half-cnviously.
No." replied grandma, smiling
pretty Mamie. 1T was in the {
days Of my married life. was m
ried, you know. when was only I
entccn- stayed at home with mot
that year; then Joseph and I, and y
grcat-uncle Rufus, . two-months-
baby. moved up 70 tho north a VIII
we'd been living and pretty nigh
che borders Of Canada.
'Wc were twenty miles from mel
bcrs, and found our way 70 them
spotted treasures we'd marked.
know. for the woods are confusing.
IL was lonely like for me;
Joseph seldom left the farm. and I
only TO 20 to the mill. thirty n